Posts tagged ‘Chicago Bulls’

Two critical wins against playoff caliber teams prove the Nets are capable of great things, however now is not the time to rest on those laurels. Tuesday starts of four games in five nights, 25% of the 16 remaining games, including the next two against the teams battling New Jersey for the final Eastern playoff spot.

Following Monday’s action, the Nets head to Chicago in 9^th place, two games ahead of the Bulls and ½ game behind Wednesday’s opponent, Atlanta. The next seven games, particularly these two, may well determine the Nets playoff fate. Six of seven against sub-.500 teams, five against teams outside the playoff picture, and five against the group battling for the final two playoff spots, if we stretch to include streaking Philly in that group. Besides taking advantage of the last weak portion of the remaining schedule, these head-to-head match-ups may have tiebreaker implications.

To earn a playoff berth, New Jersey needs to win some road games. The Nets dropped seven straight away from the Izod Center since the Kidd trade, and are 2-16 dating back to mid-January. Tomorrow is the perfect chance to get on track, against a Bulls team playing back to back nights after blowing a double-digit second half lead in New Orleans on Monday, and that the Nets beat twice already this season. Opening night seems like an eternity, two teams with high hopes battling into overtime. Looking back, that game was more April Fools for both teams, than it was Halloween.

Offense, Offense, Offense. Coach Frank raved about the improved passing the past two games, as Devin Harris finally took control of the offense, pushing the tempo whenever possible, setting up his teammates with open looks, and taking better shots himself. The Nets shot over 50% from the field two straight games for the first time this season, and they attacked the rim, scoring 48 and 62 points in the paint in the respective contest along with a season-high 50 free throws on Saturday. It adds up to two 100+ point games, a key barometer for success this season with a 17-7 record when they crack the century mark.

Two players to keep an eye on are Vince Carter and Boki Nochbar. Carter is the lone Net regular to struggle offensively the past two games. Despite the point total, VC has shot often, and shot the ball poorly. Though he did play aggressive Saturday getting to the line 14 times, a knock on him most of the season, Carter needs to become more selective when he’s misfiring and look to pass.

Meanwhile, Boki needs to get involved earlier. He provided the spark the Nets needed off the bench in the 4^th on Saturday, following up a solid 21-point effort against Cleveland. Similar to the Nets, Boki’s capable of great things, but consistency continues to allude him. With a contract on the line, and nobody else on the Nets bench stepping up, Boki can really give the Nets a lift with 15 points a night, and earn a few dollars in the process.